15 African Countries to Meet on Biofuels and Bioproducts

xperts and specialists from the fifteen Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries will attend the Regional Workshop on Emerging Technologies for Sustainable Biofuels and Added-value Bioproducts from Agricultural Waste and Algae in the SADC Region, to be held in Pretoria, South Africa from July 24 to 27, 2012.

The Workshop is being organized by the International Centre for Science and High Technology (ICS) based in Trieste, Italy, which operates within the legal framework of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) in cooperation with the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) of South Africa, and will address SADC’s interest in the issues of energy security and energy access in the region, in particular for the development of biofuels.

Emerging technologies, based on scientific knowledge and engineering know-how, for chemical transformation of biomolecules from agricultural and forestry wastes, and for growing microalgae, are the basis of a sustainable bio-based industry that could become an important source of income for emerging economies in the near future, as well as provide energy, chemicals, drugs and nutrients.

The global trend in the development of biofuels and bio-based energy in general is to switch from the production of crops competing with food to the use of agricultural waste, which is available in large quantities, and to look into alternative crops and forms of biomass such as algae.

The objective of the Workshop is to increase awareness on the science, technology and sustainability aspects among the different stakeholders, in order to support the efforts of SADC and its member countries and their institutions in the development and adoption of new green technologies, and in the further development of regional and national policies on biofuels.

The program will include sessions on:

R&D and emerging technologies for conversion of agro and forestry waste into advanced biofuels and added-value products

Technologies for algae cultivation and applications in the production of food and energy

Applied technology case studies and best practices for valorization of agro-waste and algae

Sustainability of bio-based industry and resource availability

Selected case studies on progress in R&D and applied technologies and best practices in SADC countries in the field of exploitation of agro-waste and algae